TDS in transition mode

So I'm upgrading the site and dropping the .blogspot. Hopefully I'll be able to add some new features (and legitimacy) to the site. The url will be the same (www.thedailyshillelagh.com), just minus the .blogspot (hence the dropping of the .blo.... oh, you're a smart readership, you know the rest).

Anyways, google says that it will take anywhere from one to three days before the transition is complete. In the meantime you can continue to read posts on www.thedailyshillelagh.blogspot.com, and in the future you will be redirected to the new url automatically.

TDS 2010 Recruiting Watch List

*-offerred committed S-Scout R-Rivals

Quarterback-
Andrew Hendrix* (Moeller HS, Cincinnati OH) 3*S, 4*R
Tommy Rees* (Lake Forest HS, Lake Forest IL) 3*S, 3*R
Peter Thomas (Valhalla HS, El Cajon CA) 4*S, 4*R - NC St, ASU, BC, Mary, NW
Turner Baty (St. Thomas Aquinas, Ft Lauderdale FL) 3*S, 3*R - ACC, SEC
Ryan Kasdorf (Notre Dame HS, Sherman Oaks CA) 3*S, 1*R - Pac 10, FSU, Louis.

Runningback-
Michael Dyer* (Little Rock Academy, Little Rock AR) 4*S, 5*R - SEC, OU, Stan
Malcolm Jones* (Oaks Christian, Westlake CA) 4*S, 4*R - OU, LSU, Stan, UCLA, USC
Marcus Lattimore* (James F Burnes HS, Duncan SC) 5*S, 5* R - SEC, ACC
Jordan James* (Corona HS, Corona CA) 4* S, 4*R - Cal, Fla, Mia, OU, UCLA, UW, Stan
Anthony Barr* (Loyola HS, Los Angeles CA) 4*S, 4*R - Pac 10
Giovanni Bernard* (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale FL) 3*S, 4*R - ACC, Rut, WV
Corey Brown* (Cardinal O'Hara, Springfield PA) 4*S, 4*R - Mich, OSU, Pitt, Tenn, WV
Marquis Flowers* (Millenium HS, Goodyear AZ) 4*S, 4*R - Pac 10, Colo, Mich
Austin White (Stevenson HS, Livonia MI) 4*S, 3*R - Big 10, LSU
Cameron Roberson (Nerbury Park HS, Newbury Park CA) 3*S, 4*R - Pac 10, NW, BYU
LaSteven McKinney (Nazareth, La Grange Park IL) 3*S, 3*R - Big 10, Stan, Ariz

Wide Receiver-
Daniel Smith* (Clay HS, South Bend IN) 4*S, 3*R
Bennett Jackson* (Raritan HS, Hazlet NJ) 4*S, 3*R
Kyle Prater* (Proviso West HS, Hillside IL) 5*S, 4*R - Big 10, OU, USC
Tai-ler Jones* (Gainesvill HS, Gainesville GA) 4*S, 4*R - Stan (soft verbal)
DeAndrew White* (North Shore HS, Galena Park TX) 4*S, 4*R - SEC, OU, aTm, TTech
Robert Woods* (Junipero Serra HS, Gardena CA) 4*S, 4*R - Pac 10, OU, Tenn
Brandon Coleman* (Bishop McNamara HS, Forestville MD) 3*S, 3*R - ACC

Tight End-
Alex Welch* (Elder HS, Cincinnati OH) 3*S, 4*R

Offensive Tackle-
Seantrel Henderson* (Cretin Derham, St. Paul MN) 5*S, 5*R - Big 10, Fla, UCLA, OU
Erik Kohler* (Oaks Christian HS, Westlake CA) 4*S, 4*R - Pac 10
James Stone* (Maplewood Comp, Nashville, TN) 4*S, 4*R - SEC, Stan
Matt James* (St. Xavier, Cincinnati OH) 4*S, 4*R - Cin, Duke, Fla, OSU, Stan, Tenn
Chaz Green* (Tampa Catholic, Tampa FL) 4*S, 4*R - Fla, FSU, Mia, UGA, USC
Zach Fulton (Homewood-Flossmoor HS, Flossmoor IL) 3*S, 3*R - Big 10

Offensive Guard-
Christian Lombard* (William Fremd HS, Palatine IL) 4*S, 3*R
Giovanni Di Poalo (St. Bonaventure HS, Ventura CA) 3*S, 4*R - Pac 10
Arthur Doakes (Lebanon HS, Lebanon PA) 3*S, 1*R - BC, Big East, MSU, Vandy
Corin Brooks (Arlington HS, Riverside CA) 3*S, 3*R - UCLA, Wash, NW, Duke

Center-
Brandon Linder* (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale FL) 4*S, 4*R - Fla, Bama, FSU, UGA, Mia, OSU

Defensive End-
Chris Martin* (The Hun School, Princeton NJ) 5*S, 5*R
Blake Lueders* (Zionsville Community, Zionsville IN) 4*S, 4*R
Corey Lemonier* (Hialeah HS, Hialeah FL) 4*S, 4*R - Bama, Fla, FSU, UGA, Mia, Tenn
Owamagbe Odighizuwa* (David Douglas HS, Portland OR) 4*S, 4*R - Pac 10, SEC
TJ Clemmings* (Paterson Catholic, Paterson NJ) 4*S, 3*R - UGA, Mich, OSU, Pitt, Rut
Chance Carter* (Loyola Academy, Wilmette IL) 4*S, 3*R - Neb, Stan, Ind, Ore, Wis
Darryl Baldwin* (Solon HS, Solon OH) 3*S, 3*R - OSU, Duke, Ill, Mich, MSU, WV
Prince Shembo* (Ardrey Kell HS, Charlotte NC) 3*S, 3*R - ACC, Stan, Tenn

Defensive Tackle-
Louis Nix* (William M. Raines HS, Jacksonville FL) 4*S, 4*R - Mia, Fla, FSU, Ill, LSU
Beau Allen (Minnetonka HS, Minnetonka MN) 4*S, 3*R - Minn, Iowa, Neb, Wis, Bama
Calvin Smith* (Hialeah HS, Hialeah FL) 3*S, 4*R - Fla, FSU, Mia, Ill, Tenn, UCF
Frank Boenzi (Geneva Comm HS, Geneva, IL) 3*S, 3*R - Big 10, Colo, Ariz

Outside Linebacker-
Jordan Hicks* (Lakota West HS, Westchester OH) 5*S, 4*R - SEC, Mich, OSU, Tex
Justin McCay* (Bishop Miege HS, Shawnee KS) 5*S, 4*R - Big XII, Fla, OU, Tenn
Khairi Fortt* (Stamford HS, Stamford CT) 4*S, 4*R - BC, Cal, Mary, UNC, PSU, USC
Shaun Lewis* (Hightower HS, Sugarland TX) 4*S, 4*R - Bama, OU, Ore, aTm, UCLA
Josh Shirley* (Henry J. Kaiser HS, Fontana CA) 4*S, 4*R - Pac 10, Mia, Tenn
Christian Jones* (Lake Howell HS, Winter Park FL) 4*S, 1*R - SEC, ACC, OU, USC
Dakota Royer* (Manheim Central HS, Manheim PA) 3*S, 4*R - MSU, PSU, Pitt, WV, Ill
Ishmael Thomas (Renaissance HS, Detroit MI) 1*S, 3*R - Mich, MSU, Big 10

Middle Linebacker-
Jeff Luc* (Treasure Coast HS, Port St. Lucie FL) 5*S, 5*R - Fla, FSU, UGA, Mia, Mich, USC
VJ Fehoko* (Farrington HS, Honolulu HI) 4*S, 4*R - Colo, Neb, UCLA, UW, Tenn, BYU
Hayes Pullard* (Crenshaw HS, Los Angeles CA) 4*S, 4*R - Pac 10, Neb, Fla

Cornerback-
Lo Wood* (Apopka HS, Apopka FL) 3*S, 3*R
Christian Bryant* (Glenville HS, Cleveland OH) 3*S, 4*R - Ill, Mary, OSU, Stan, Tenn
Cody Riggs* (St. Thomas Aquainas, Ft. Lauderdale FL) 3*S, 4*R - SEC, ACC, OSU
Spencer Boyd* (Cape Coral HS, Cape Coral FL) 1*S, 3*R - UGA, Mia, Mich, Stan, Tenn, WV
Joshua Shaw* (Palmdale HS, Palmdale CA) 4*S, 3*R - Neb, OU, Pac-10
Tony Hurd* (Marshall HS, Missouri City TX) 3*S, 3*R - SEC, Big XII

Safety-
Chris Badger* (Timpview HS, Provo UT) 3*S, 3*R
Sean Parker* (Nathaniel Narbonne HS, Harbor City CA) 5*S, 4*R - Fla, UGA, OU, Stan, UCLA, USC
Dietrich Riley* (St. Francis, La Canada CA) 4*S, 4*R - Mich, Neb, Tenn, Pac 10
Devon Carrington* (Hamilton HS, Chandler AZ) 3*S, 3*R - Pac 10, NW
Dion Bailey* (Lakewood HS, Lakewood CA) 3*S, 4*R - Colo, OU, Pac 10
Tony Jefferson* (Eastlake HS, Chula Vista CA) 4*S, 4*R - USC, Fla, UGA, OU
David Amerson* (Dudle HS, Greensboro NC) 3*S, 4*R - ACC, TTech, Louis.

Special Teams-
N/A

Dialectics, Half Nelson, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

One of my favorite film from the past decade is Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden's Half Nelson, the story of an inner-city history teacher who struggles with drug addictions while trying to give his students a shot at a future. One of the main themes of the film is the theory of dialectics. Dialectics, a theory formed by Friedrich Engels, believes that change happens in three steps: 1) Everything is made of opposing forces and opposing sides, 2) Gradual change leads to turning points, where one opposite overcomes another, and 3) Change moves in spirals, not circles. So how does this all connect to Notre Dame football? I'm getting there.

So far, in the Charlie Weis era at Notre Dame, I can point out one major turning point: the 2005 USC game. The Irish came into the game riding a wave of emotion that hadn't been seen since the Holtz years (possibly the 1993 game against Florida State?). USC came into the game having won their last 27 games, dominating the Irish in their last three matchups by 31 points in each game. The Irish were 4-1 heading into the game and had entered the top 10 for the first time since the mirage that was Tyrone Willingham's first season. The Irish wanted to return to powerhouse program status. We have our opposing forces.

The teams traded blows throughout the game, with the Irish holding a lead late as USC tried to mount their final drive. You know the rest: 4th and 9 from the SC 26, Leinart to Jarrett for 61 yards. Three plays later, Reggie Bush pushes Matt Leinart into the endzone and SC wins. So, in the metaphorical arm wrestle that was the 2005 matchup, the Irish were close to putting SC down before Bush pushed the Trojan arm (watch it!) back the other way and pinned the Irish. There's your turning point.

Finally, change moves in spirals, not circles. The results do not return to their original point, but are instead evolutionary. The Irish looked to be marching towards a "return to glory" (man, I hate that term), but the turning point shifted the Irish in another direction. The Irish would have ended up in the National Championship game had they beaten SC and finished the year the way they did. Instead they stumbled down the stretch and lost to Ohio State in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the final score. The next year they beat the teams they should have, but were blown out by the elite programs, the one's we aspire to be on the same level as. Then came the next two seasons. 3-9, 7-6, and struggle mounted upon struggle until we've reached this point. The spiral came to it's central location in 2005, and the Irish were never the same after.

But change is gradual, and four seasons later the Irish have yet to reach a major turning point in the program's evolution. Some would point to last year's matchup with North Carolina as a turning point, where an improving team gagged down the stretch and flailed like a flounder on a pier for the rest of the season. Others would point to the Hawaii game as a turning point, where a struggling team overcame an environment of losing to get back on track. I refuse either of these as major turning points (though I recognize them as minor turning points), believing instead that the next big turning point will come this season... we just don't know when.

So, as the program builds upon experience and talent leading towards the future, where will the big turning point come? Well, it could be in the form of a marquee win, something Weis has yet to nail down as coach, or as another devastating loss, like the 2005 SC game. I think the uncertainty surrounding next year's team, coupled with a schedule that lacks many major opponents, will lead to a turning point early on, where the team defines itself one way or another.

There's three games that standout as "statement games": September 12th at Michigan, September 19th vs. Michigan State, October 17th vs. USC. Let's take a look at them and see what we can find.

The Michigan game, the second of the season, pits a struggling Michigan team against a Notre Dame squad that was in a similar position two years earlier. Both teams were once major programs and are striving to get back to the status of an elite program. A win for either could propel them to a successful year, while an early loss could be debilitating (especially for the Irish). Michigan is still rebuilding and trying to fit the square peg in the round hole, while the Irish seem to have their chips in place to make a run. A loss for the Irish could certainly be a turning point, but I'm not sure a win would prove to be the marquee victory Charlie Weis is searching for.

The Michigan State game, which happens the following weekend, has been a struggle for the Irish in recent seasons, despite having an advantage in talent. The Irish lost a dud of a game last year, got creamed the year before, struggled to beat Sparty on the road in 2006, and lost to the Spartans in Weis' first year (Weis is nearly 0-4 against MSU? Yikes). This is a game that could be a turning point in either direction. If the Irish beat Michigan State it could prove that they have "restored the Universe to order" as Hank Steinbrenner once put it. If the Irish lose to Sparty (especially if it comes after a win at Michigan), the downward trend of the Charlie Weis era will be cemented as reality as opposed to a fluke. Mark Dantonio will establish himself as a better coach than Weis, and the confidence of the program will certainly be in doubt. Though not an elite program, MSU could prove to be an early turning point in the future of the Irish.

Finally, the USC game looms large over the first half of the season. It will be the litmus test for the '09 year. A victory would propel the Irish back towards an elite status, proving to be a turning point in Weis' career and the program's history. A loss would be another beat down from A-list to B-list (or worse). It's a big recruiting weekend, a major home game, and the comparisons to the '05 matchup are eerily similar. I hate to play Miss Cleo, but I think we've found our answer. The Irish shouldn't have more than one loss heading into the game (and could very easily be undefeated to that point) and have an extra week to prepare for the Trojans. SC has two big matchups at Ohio State and at California early, but the Trojans also have a bye week leading up to the matchup with the Irish. Everything seems to be coming to the end of the spiral, with the program's evolution hanging in the balance.

So what will be determined by the matchup? A lot... maybe just short of everything. Charlie Weis' future as head coach could be determined by a win or a big loss. Notre Dame's return to being an elite program could be propelled by a win or beaten down, yet again, by a loss. Recruiting battles hang in the balance, as does the attitude of the fans and student body. It's the whole concept of "change you can believe in". Eventually people will stop believing in Charlie Weis if he continues to boost us up just in time for another let down, but if he can pull off the upset it would do wonders for the program. The rest of the '09 schedule, while not a cakewalk, would feature the Irish as favorites in every game they have.

It's like Ryan Gosling's character Dan Dunne says in Half Nelson: "We're always changing. And it's important to know that there are some changes you can't control and there are others that you can." See you on the third Saturday in October.

Offers Abound, We don't need no stinkin' Big 10, and the SEC restricts power (LOTD 5/31)

A bit of recruiting news, insistence on examining the Big 10 issue, and the SEC limits its coaches' powers.... time for the weekend update.

Charlie Weis has offered a trio of high school prospects over the weekend. Evan Hailes, a DT from Virginia, received an offer and promptly said that he had little to no interest in the Irish. Makes you wonder why they offerred him in the first place (Was Charlie chatting with Rich Rodriguez?). Vaya con Dios, kid.

Arizona RB/S Marquis Flowers also received an offer, and unlike Hailes, has displayed some interest in the program. Flowers has offers from many of the big programs on the West Coast (USC, UCLA, Cal, Arizona State), along with offers from Michigan, Nebraska, and Colorado, but those programs are recruiting him a safety while Weis is recruiting him as a runningback. One team missing from the offer list is Stanford, which is important to note because of Flowers' gpa: 2.65. I'm not sure what his status is with admissions, but as one poster pointed out on IrishEnvy, Paddy Mullen had a 2.2 before increasing his gpa in subsequent semesters and proving he could apply himself academically. Nevertheless, Flowers says the Irish will be in the mix. He will make a decision at the Under Armor All-American game.

California OLB Josh Shirley also received an offer this weekend. Shirley is 6'3", 225 and runs a 4.53 40. He has offers from USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford, and Miami. Both Rivals and Scout give him four stars, while ESPN lists him on the Top 150 watch list. Shirley had 123 tacles, 17 for a loss, as a linebacker for Kaiser High School (Das Kaiser!) in Fontana, CA. As always, the Irish will compete with the big boys of the West Coast for Shirley's services.

The Journal Gazette's Michael Rothstein takes a look at why it doesn't make sense for the Irish to join the Big 10 (despite the fact that neither the conference nor the Irish have any interest in the union). Rothstein makes all of the major points against joining the Big 10 (or any conference) in his post: The cash cow that is the NBC deal, ND's favorable status in the BCS, the benefits of sticking with the Big East in basketball and Olympic sports and the lack of a playoff. Rothstein goes on to point out that it might be a good idea to join a BCS conference if a playoff were to be put into play, but until that happens, the Independent status benefits the Irish in almost every way. Perhaps we can discuss the benefits of the forward pass next.

SEC news (Hooray!). The SEC has capped the number of commits a school can take at 28, which is bad news for Houston Nutt, who usually likes to sign a class hovering around 35 recruits. Ole Miss signed 37 recruits last year, a ridiculous amount considering the NCAA only allows 25 players per class. The SEC ADs wanted the number to be 30, but the presidents had other ideas, limiting it to 28. The average SEC class has had 29 commitments over the past few years, which leaves room for academic casualties and prep school purgetory. It's a rare move for the SEC to limit it's power, but in this case it's the right move.

Finally, Dr. Saturday has a preview of this year's Florida Gators, which hold this year's status of pre-season champions (poor USC). The Gators are loaded and have a relatively easy schedule. Sounds like the perfect opportunity for Tim Tebow to expand his messianic attitude. Gag me.

That's all for today. Monday should provide some more news (you know, when all of those ink stained wretches get back to their typewriters).

Luke Harangody at the NBA combine, Hendrix Rocks Out to an offer, and Urban rules over the new Thug U (LOTD 5/29)

Not much in the way of Irish news today, so I'll give you what I have and then branch out a bit. There's quite a few interesting stories from the rest of the sports world, so stay tuned.

I'm actually going to start with basketball today, as Luke Harangody talked to the Chicago Tribune's Brian Hamilton about the NBA combine. So far Harangody's height has been an issue (he measured in at 6'8" with shoes on and 240 pounds), but Gody believes that his workouts and reviews have been largely positive so far. Luke also mentioned that his work ethic and intensity can make up for his lack of height. Gody's weight is also relatively low, mainly from his workouts, and the power forward said that he now weighs less than he did coming in as a freshman.

Harangody has until June 15th to withdraw his name from the NBA draft, and it appears he will take the next two weeks to make that decision. "Right now it's too early in the process," Harangody said. "There's definitely been some feedback coming in, but not enough at this point where I'd be able to make my decision."

Hamilton notes that Gody has worked out for Miami, Cleveland, and Milwaukee and has workouts set up with Chicago, New Orleans, New Jersey, Golden State, and Minnesota. I personally don't think that Harangody will gain much from another year in college, but he will almost certainly return if he doesn't think he will be a first round selection.

Now to football news: The Irish have offered Ohio quarterback Andrew Hendrix. It is unkown if he has any relation to Jimi, but Hendrix's stock has risen rapidly in the past few months. Hendrix, who hails from Cinicinnati's Moeller High School, is 6'3" and 220 pounds. He's a pro-style quarterback who threw for 1700 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. He is a 4-star player on Rivals and a Top 150 player on ESPN. Hendrix has offers from Ohio State, Wisconsin, Miami, Illinois, and Cincinnati. The Irish are looking to take two quarterbacks this year, so the Hendrix offer could help fill one of those openings. I have heard that the Irish are in good shape, but this could turn out to be another Ohio State/Notre Dame battle for an Ohio prospect.

Sticking with recruiting, Andy Staples has a profile of the hometowns of the US Army All-American players. Staples points out that Pete Carroll could fill a class of All-Americans within 119 miles of campus, Randy Shannon could do the same without ever leaving South Florida, as could Urban Meyer without traveling farther than 300 miles of Gainesville. An interesting note, Staples points out that while Notre Dame recruits nationally, 25 blue-chippers live within a 200 mile radius of South Bend and 47 live within 300 miles of the school. It says a lot for those who claim that the Irish need to reestablish their Midwestern recruiting roots.

Dr. Saturday has a pre-season preview of the USC Trojans, focusing mainly on their ridiculous amount of talent. Hinton points out that the top five runningbacks on the depth chart are all 5-star guys. USC also has more 5-star players and more 4-star players than any other team in college football. To further the point, only four SC players on the two-deep are 3-star players or less. So I thought the Irish had a shot at SC this year, but Hinton managed to beat that idea into the ground.

Sun-Sentinel columnist Dave Hyde points out that Urban Meyer's Florida Gators have become the new Thug U. The former champions of the title, the Miami Hurricanes, have only had one arrest in the past year (that, of course, belongs to Purdue's newest quarterback Marvelous Robert Marve), while Florida has had 23 arrests in the past four years. As Hyde puts it, "Florida players have punched women, stolen property and been involved with guns and drugs." Hyde continues on to make a very good point:

"There's a hard lesson in this for Miami fans, and a harder warning for Florida fans. It's not as easy as the big, bad media picking on the Hurricanes, either. It's something you're told early in life: Once you lose your reputation, it's hard to get back."

It's only a matter of time before they start doing backflips in the endzone. Let this be a warning to the Urban Meyer crowd at ND.

Moving on, check out Maurice Clarett's blog, which he is hosting from prison. Many people are quick to rip Clarett, but I'm not one of them. It literally drove Clarett insane when he saw LeBron James making $100 million out of high school while he was stuck having to go to (unnecessary) classes when he could have been a top 5 draft pick. Is it his fault that he was refused the opportunity to make a living? Of course not. Anyways, Clarett states that he still has the passion and wants to play football again. Clarett says:

"I can’t hold these feelings in anymore. I want to play football again. I have a deep desire to play. I love the game. I have so much penitentiary aggression pinned up inside of me. I want to hit someone. I want to run the ball. I want to tackle someone. I want to play. I am going to play somewhere. I cannot accept how things ended. I won’t accept how they ended."

I actually hope he does. Clarett is one of the great sporting tragedies of the past decade. He's a kid from a poor upbringing who wanted to earn a paycheck and was refused the opportunity. I hope his mind is, in fact, right and he can eventually get back on the field.

Quick note- Tyrone Willingham has been awarded with the worst coaching performance of the 21st century. And surprisngly it has to do with a season he had at Washington and not with his final two abysmal seasons at ND. He's still on the payroll, so I have no problem continuing to rip Coach Radio.

Finally, a story that I enjoyed quite a bit, despite it's maudlin state. Bullfighter Israel Lancho was gored by a bull during a bull fight (in Spain, I beleive) and is in critical condition. I actually don't feel all that bad for Israel, though I hope he lives. In these situations I take the Ricky Gervais position of cheering for the bull. Israel stepped into the ring wanting to take the risk of being gored, but the bull didn't sign up to be stabbed with swords. Can you blame the bull for... well, doing what bulls do? Especially after being stabbed five times? I always cheer for the bulls in this situation, so get well Israel, and leave the poor bulls alone.

That's all for today. In the interim, watch out for bulls and Florida football players.

Joe Pa wakes up from his nap, Nick Montana rumors, and twitching freaks (LOTD 5/28)

A few stories of note out there today, so I'll give you a quick LOTD and get you on your way.

The big hubbub of the day comes out of our favorite zombie, Joe Paterno. Paterno, who has been an AARP member for over three decades, has said that he would like to add another team to the Big 10 (a 12th team, mind you), but that the new team should not be the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This strikes me as saying you want to date someone, but not Megan Fox... despite the fact that she would never date you in the first place (the rough life of the littles). Paterno said that the Irish "had their chance," and he would much prefer to add a historic program such as Pittsburgh, Rutgers (despite residing in New Jersey and not the Midwest), or Syracuse (excuse me?).

Where to begin? I'm somewhat surprised that Paterno even remembered that the Irish turned the Big Ten down, which was the right move to be made (possibly the only right move ever made by the dynamic duo of Kevin White and Monk Malloy). Pittsburgh would make sense, but Pitt has become a basketball school, and there's no reason to leave the Big East for the Big Ten when your main product is basketball. This is the same reason Syracuse would never leave the Big East. Syracuse football is an afterthought in Upstate New York, and carries little value other than waiting for a team of hoodlums and thugs to take the court in November (did I write that?). That leaves us with Rutgers, which has been was fairly average since their hot start a few years ago. Rutgers has no basketball holdings, which makes the focus on football seem like the reason for a logical transition to the Big 10, but they aren't even close to being a Midwestern team.

Honestly, I don't understand why the Big Ten wouldn't look at a MAC program (such as Bowling Green, Miami (Oh), or Northern Illinois) or a Conference USA program (such as Memphis) to be the new member. But I guess that's what happens when your conference is stuck in the 1960s.

Recruiting rumors regarding super-quarterback Nick Montana have begun to pop up on the internet. The website Gridironstuds.com, a recruiting blog, claims to have heard that Montana has committed to the Fighting Irish (see the entry of May 26th). I have to say that I cannot support the accuracy of the blog, but the author seems to think that the commitment would not be a surprise. There have been plenty of claims going around, both believing that Montana is a ND lean or an SC lean, depending on who you talk to, so we will see how this plays out. If it proves to be true, however, this would be a mammoth pickup for the Irish, and Montana would fill the need for a big-time quarterback in this class.

Now to some slightly concerning news, ESPN College Gameday analyst Lee Corso has reportedly suffered a minor stroke. I think back to the quote that a stroke (or heart attack) is only minor if it doesn't happen to you. Corso plans on being at the opening of College Gameday this upcoming season, which is good news. "This is just a small bump in the road, " Corso said in a statement issued by ESPN. "A 'not so fast, my friend' in my game of life." I'm glad he can still use corny catch phrases, which is a good indicator that he will will hit the season opener in full scooter-stride.

Apparently the decision to keep the college football coaches poll secret was enough. Now the coaches have considered limiting the number of teams in the poll to 10 or 15, along with possibly getting rid of the pre-season poll. I like the idea of getting rid of the pre-season poll, since no one has any much of an idea how many of these teams will preform before they actually step on the field, but I don't understand limiting the number of teams in the poll. It honestly seems like it just makes less work for the coaches who vote in the thing, which is already a limited number as it is. 25 teams seems like a nice number, it's square, about 1/5 of the teams in D1-A, and has seemed to work for years upon years.

Finally, the twitching freaks are back at the Spelling Bee this year. Our bet is that the winner will be a) home schooled b) on the verge of either a nervous breakdown or of fainting c) will not know what to do when interviewed by Erin Andrews. I'm also guessing that at least one will turn green and vomit on stage (which would be great for ratings) and another will have a mustache. I'd love to do a live blog for the event, but it's just a bit outside of the mission of this site (not that we really have one, but you know).

That's all for now. Remember, it's spelled S-h-i-l-l-e-l-a-g-h.

Chauncey strikes again, a posisble matchup with Wisconsin, and the secrecy of coaching (LOTD 5/27)

Tyrone Willingham is the gift that keeps on giving. Chauncey, who is arguably the worst head football coaching hire in Notre Dame history, is reportedly still receiving a check from Notre Dame despite the fact that he called them racists.

The university paid Willingham $650,00 to not be their coach for the third straight year. This coming off of an off-season where financial status was the rumored reason that Charlie Weis' contract was not bought out. The sum makes Willingham the second-highest paid "employee" who is not a director, trustee, or officer on the Notre Dame payroll.

To make matters worse, the sum is higher than current head coach Charlie Weis' base salary. Weis was paid a base salary of $640,851 in salary and benefits over the past year, slightly less than Willingham was receiving for running the Washington program into the ground (hey, at least he gave us a win last season). The figure does not include endorsement deals and side projects, such as the radio show, that also make up the job of a head coach.

Willingham also made more than basketball coach Mike Brey, who recieved $526,757 in base pay, and women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw, who received $515,014 in base compensation.

The results from Coach Radio's regime weren't enough, he has to stick it to the Irish one more time. Willingham will be off the books at the end of June.

To more uplifting news, Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez is trying to set up a home-and-home series with his alma mater, possibly to be played in the 2012 and 2015 seasons. Wisconsin has been looking for a big out-of-conference matchup, and Alvarez has long-standing ties to the university, so it could be a good fit. I'm not completely sure of the appeal of playing another Big 10 team, especially with Wisconsin trending down, but it could be one of those deals to help a fellow Irishman. The Irish have played the Badgers 16 times, with ND leading the series by 2 games (8-6-2). The two teams last played in 1964.

Heisman Pundit, the blogging authority on all things Heisman, has Jimmy Clausen listed as one of seven shortlist candidates for the 2010 season. USC quarterback Aaron Corp joins Clausen on the list, along with Jahvid Best, Evan Royster (who I have never heard of), Noel Devine, Jeremiah Masoli (again, who?), and Terrell Pryor. It seems waaaay too early to be mentioning Clausen as a candidate for the Heisman, but at the same rate I've heard from many Irish fans who think Clausen may go pro after this season (apparently the QB class this year is very weak).

BlueandGold has finally ended their series on the ten hardest schedules in Notre Dame history. The website named the 1943 season as the hardest the Irish have ever faced, which is all well and good, except that there are maybe a dozen Irish fans who were at the school for that year. This is more of a celebration that the posts will stop appearing in my google reader feed, but those of you who are interested can check it out.

There's quite a bit of Non-ND related news, so I'll get right to it. My favorite story is that Brian Cushing has a blog, which gives me an excuse to show my favorite picture of the 'roid head. OG Cush's blog appears on BrianCushing56.com, his official website. You can see pictures of Cushing, read his blog, and ask him questions (what's the best way to mask steroid use at the NFL combine?) on the site. So far Cushing has explained why he took number 56 (it was a "no-brainer", which is good for someone with a limited brain), and how the NFL has been a dream come true. Riveting stuff.

The final college football coaches' poll will no longer be revealed, which is the perfect way for coaches to hide their inner-conference favoratism. I loved when the poll came out at the end of the year, mainly so I could see what sort of insanity was in the mind of Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach, but the fun had to stop eventually. You can't expect these coaches to be unethical and public, can you?

Finally, Jose Canseco got his head beat in by some bohemeth of a man. That's always a reason to celebrate. I wonder if Canseco will now identify his oppenent as a steroid user?

That's all for today. There's a shot we'll have LeBron James as a guest blogger on Friday, seeing as how his Cavs are a bunch of choking dogs.

Class of 2010 Commit #4- Alex Welch

Charlie Weis got his first commitment in nearly four months when Cincinnati tight end Alex Welch signed on to be the fourth member of the class of 2010. Welch, who is 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, received an offer from the Irish just 10 days ago and wasted no time in making a decision.

"I called coach (Charlie) Weis and told him," Welch told ESPN's Bill Kurelic. "He was excited. He said I made his Memorial Day weekend."

And I thought the Bar-B-Que would be all Charlie needed to get excited about Memorial Day (ooooh, cheap shot). Weis told Welch that the Irish would only take one tight end this season, and the Ohio prospect wanted to make sure he was the guy (though for some reason the SBT believes the Irish will take two tight ends).

"I just thought personally Notre Dame is the best place for me," Welch told Kurelic. "It's a place I can succeed."

Welch looked at the early successes of another Ohio tight end (and former Elder High School teammate) Kyle Rudolph as one of the reasons to make the commitment. He had offers from many Midwest schools, including Michigan (sucks), Michigan State, Illinois, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, and Ohio State, which was the main competitor for his services. Welch also had offers from powerhouse programs such as Oklahoma and Florida State, and up-and-coming programs such as Stanford, Boston College and North Carolina.

Welch was rated a four-star prospect and the 10th best tight end in the country by Rivals and three-star prospect and the 7th best tight end in the country by Scout. He runs a 4.85 40 and has a 3.4 GPA. He caught 32 passes for over 400 yards and four touchdowns in 2008.

Welch is the nephew of former Irish linebacker (and 1977 national champion) Steve Heimkreiter.

Here's a list of profiles on the latest commitment: BGS, Her Loyal Sons, Subway Domer, Irish Sports Daily, Scout, Rivals, ESPN, NDLNA

Recruiting news, a game at Yankee Stadium (maybe), and loads of other news (LOTDs 5/25)

I've found that the summer provides plenty to write about if you give it a couple of days. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep going at this pace until fall rolls around or go back to the daily updates... I guess I'll run with what's given for now.

First off, congrats to the Cornell's Big Red Lacrosse team. Though they couldn't put the Syracuse Orange away in today's NCAA championship, the Big Red had a hell of a year and should take pride in their successes.

Now to football news. Big news just broke of this year's fourth commit: tight end Alex Welch. I'll have a full profile up of the recruit either tonight or tomorrow, but for now I'll link to the BuckNuts story breaking the news.

In other recruiting news, The Lemming has released his Top 100 list. Seantrel Henderson tops the list, with many other Irish prospects making their way on the list. Chris Martin is listed at #45, which is surprisingly (and ridiculously) low, but Lemming is an ND homer and will probably have Martin (justifyably) in the top ten before long. Unfortunently, no pictures of Lemming in his trademark turtleneck... but that's not going to stop me.

The biggest news from the past couple of days is a report that Jack Swarbrick wants to play a game in the new Yankee Stadium. It's an interesting concept that dates back to games played in the old Yankee Stadium (The House that Ruth Built), where the Irish had one of their biggest victories in the programs history, a 35-13 win over Army in 1913. The game is better known for it's "Win One For the Gipper speech" and the introduction of the forward pass. You know, that one.

The preliminary plan is to take on Army in the matchup. I'm fine with this idea if we can use the game as an away matchup, but I'm not a fan if the Irish have to play it as a home game. Yankee Stadium is a great venue for a game, but this isn't the real Yankee Stadium, it's more of a modern, technologically advanced spaceship of a park. It doesn't hold the lore or legend of the old park, and in reality is nothing more than a bright new sparkling toy for the Steinbrenner family to show off. There is no better place to play a football game than Notre Dame Stadium on a fall afternoon, and I'd hate to give up that setting when there are only six or seven opportunities a year.

Army will recieve a beat down, the game will have a story regardless of the matchup, and New York is the unofficial home of the Irish, but leaving South Bend for a money grab isn't my idea of fun (though I'd love to see the Irish play locally if I'm living in Brooklyn at the time).

Moving on, Dan Wenger was named one of 44 players selected for the Remington watch list. The Remington trophy goes to the center with the most All-American votes. I would provide more insight, but I just looked over the list of the other players named to the watch list and couldn't recognize a single name. For now let's just say congrats to Danny, with hopes that he wins the award and breaks our All-American slump.

A bit of news snuck by me during graduation weekend: our first group of early entrance recruits all graduated this past weekend. James Aldridge, Chris Stewart, and George West all received degrees from the University, leaving them time to get some work done on their graduate courses. I think it's fair to say that all three have underperformed to this point, though they still have time to reverse that trend in the upcoming season. Of the three, Stewart is the most likely to have a breakout season. Nevertheless, all three should be congratualted on their accomplishment, and hopefully this will form a trend for future early entrants.

Charlie Weis must not be proud of his 3-9 season in 2007. The losing record was left out of Weis' lead-in in the 2009 media guide. The record was listed with all of Weis' other seasons, but conveniently left out of the Weis biography. Das Heisler said that the omission was made because, “That’s the way we did it at the time [of Weis' hiring] and that’s what we’ve lived with, for the most part. If you go back, it didn’t necessarily look the same as Bob’s or Tyrone’s or anybody’s. We weren’t trying to make it look identical.”

Not sure what Heis was aiming for there, but accentuating the positives won't do Weis any good if the Irish fail to win nine games this upcoming season. And if you were to take Weis for his words - andI decided not to a long time ago - the Irish's 9-3 season in his first season was "not good enough", which doesn't say much for the last two seasons.

In non-ND related news, Big Ten commisioner Jim Delaney thinks that simpleton President Barack Obama isn't smart enough to figure out the complexity of the BCS (which doesn't give the rest of us littles much hope). The exact quote?

"He probably has an interest as a fan," Delany said. "He's a scholar and a lawyer and a great politician, but I don't think he really understands the complexity of the issue."

Ugh, it's soooo complex. A nation of fans wants a playoff, the commissioners don't want to lose money, the BCS wins out (despite the fact that it is a flawed system that awards a mythical national championship). Delaney went on to say that the President has "an interest as a fan," which is something Delaney can't be bothered with (psh, fans). This is made evident by the following statement, which Delaney blew out like the gasbag he is later in the article:

"The people I work for are the presidents, the coaches, the faculty and the athletic directors. It's not unanimous, but there's a super majority in each of one of those groups that support what we're doing."

Too bad the audience doesn't have a say. They are the paying public, afterall.

In other news, Loveable Lane Kiffin committed another recruiting violation via twitter (damn you, twitter!). Kiffin showed that he doesn't have the technological savvy of a 14-year old girl when he mentioned Vol-commit J.C. Copeland by name on his twitter page. Either Kiffykins doesn't care about recruiting violations or an intern was fired. I'm not really sure which way I'm leaning with that.

Speaking of annoying coaches and recruiting, Rich Rodriguez is throwing out scholarship offers the way Frank Gifford threw twenties to the littles on street corners after Kathy Lee was found to be running a sweatshop. Dick Rod has extended offers to over 130 recruits already, but it appears that many of these have gone to kids they don't really want to commit. According to Jim Stefani (who apparently covers recruiting), "many Michigan ‘offers’ are not really firm offers but more or less strong indications of interest by Michigan." Oh! Rod has also lost two more players; boozehound Kevin Grady and Kurt Wermers (son of Dean Vernon Wermer), a backup guard.I'm actually beginning to think that Dick Rod won't make it to year three of his reign as THE Michigan Man (especially if he can't beat THE Ohio State this year).

Quick notes: Auburn's Gene Chizik hasn't signed his contract yet, which gives Charles Barkley and the rest of the War Eagles hope; Mark Sanchez is dating a supermodel (it's good to be the king); and the son of the first New Yorker to succumb to swine flu threw a no hitter the day after his dad died (someone in LA is already working on a script).

That's all for now. More news to come tomorr.... well, soon.

There's a reason the US Postal Service has considered taking Tuesday's off (LOTD 5/19)

Here's how the typical weekly news cycle works: Monday is a collection of the weekend's stories, Tuesday is a lazy day spent in a hammock, and news reports steadily increase heading into the weekend. So excuse the ink-stained wretches if they don't want to pull their caps from over their eyes.

The biggest news of the day (and news should possibly go in quotation marks) comes from President Obama, two days removed from his commencement speech. Obama joked that the abortion debate was an issue that "paled in comparison to what to do about the football team," at a fundraising event for the Democratic Party in Indianapolis. The President quipped that it was "an issue that we may not resolve within my four years." When someone from the audience shouted out "eight!" the President responded by saying, "Alright, well, maybe in eight we might get it done." And I thought that George Carlin was the only person that could make a joke while mentioning abortion ("Why is it that when it's a person it's an abortion, but when it's a chicken it's an egg?").

In football news, Jim Harbaugh's clinical insanity may come back to bite him in the arse. Harbaugh told super-recruit and all-name team member Tai-ler Jones to take a couple of official visits to other schools when Jones committed to the Cardinal in mid-April... you know, just to make sure that Stanford was the right fit. Well, Tai-ler will do just that. Jones scheduled an official visit to Notre Dame set to occur on the weekend of October 17th when the Irish play one of the more meaningless games on their schedule. The cupcake schedule on the third Saturday of October is none other than USC. I don't think it will happen, but imagine the ramifications of having Jones on the sidelines if the Irish were to upset the Trojans at home. It would be one of the biggest wins in the past decade for the Irish and the emotions and attitudes on campus would be hard to beat. A recruit is always in play if he is planning on taking an official visit to ND, and anything can happen once you get him on campus. This one if far from being over.

Yesterday I mentioned that Nick Montana was pretty impressive at the regional Elite 11 camp in Berkely over the weekend. Today news breaks that Montana and his teammates at Oaks Christian High School will have a new coach on the sidelines for the upcoming season; none other than Irish legend Joe Montana (I think the two are related). The elder-Montana will join Casey Clausen and Clay Matthews as an assistant coach for Oaks Christian, with the trio combining for three Super Bowl rings. I know that I said yesterday that USC is considered to be the favorite for Nick Montana at this point, but the more I think (and hear) about it the better I think the Irish's chances are. We'll see how this plays out.

The Irish baseball team will begin the Big East tournament by squaring off against St. John's. There is a solid interview on IrishIllustrated for those interested.

A few Non-ND related stories: First, Robert Marve decided to go to college at Purdue for free instead of paying his way for the chance to play for Kiffykins. Marve is transferring from Miami, where is failure to lock down a starting spot should be an implication of his talent (or lackthereof).

Second, the Washington Huskies are passing around the hat so that downtrodden former-season ticket holders will be able to get their tix back. Many believe this is a result of the poor economy, though I have no problem blaming Tyrone Willingham (do you think this would be a problem if Washington was any good?).

Finally, best wishes to EDSBS's Orson Swindle, who took a tumble this week and injured a couple of lumbar vertebrae.

Back to the hammock. See you tomorrow.

The Golden Boy joins the WWL, Nick Montana excels at Elite 11, and a '10 prospect gets an offer (LOTD 5/18)

There's a surprising amount of news for a Monday in May. Let's get to it right away.

Big news of the day is that Golden Boy Jon Gruden will be taking over Tony Kornheiser's seat in the Monday Night Football booth. Kornheiser left MNF due to his fear of flying, something I can completely understand (East Coast to West Coast flights are four-pill events, which can really mess up your day). I have no idea if Gruden will be any good in that position, but you can be fairly sure that he isn't thinking long-term when he signs the deal (despite the fact that his agent says he will be there for "a couple of years").

This move makes me happy because Kornheiser is much better on his radio chat show (formerly with Washington Post Radio and 3WT in DC), and TK's reason for not returning to radio this year was his gig with MNF. Gruden will bide his time for a year sitting next to Jaws and Tirico and occasionally providing some sort of insight, though Jaworski is one of the best analysts in the game and Kornheiser's main role was to provide the viewpoint of a football outsider (so what exactly will Gruden do?).

I don't think this has any impact on Gruden's status as a potential coaching candidate IF Charlie Weis was to fail this year. Gruden is a coach, not a talking head, and you can be sure he will want to return to the sidelines as soon as possisble. If anything, this move makes Gruden a more media-friendly coach, which is important at any high-profile position (notice the evolution of Charlie Weis in the past two years).

An interesting sidenote, Gruden slammed ESPN for a report on Bruce Gradkowski's role in a point-fixing scandal at Toledo in 2007.

"I don't watch ESPN. I don't believe half the [expletive] people on the channel, personally – no disrespect. But if Bruce Gradkowski is throwing games in Toledo, how in the hell does he lead the NCAA in passing percentages? That is a crock. You know, these reports make me sick – really. I don't believe [there is] any truth to it, and I'll go to my grave believing that. I hope ESPN 3 or 4 has real sources behind this story, because it has nothing to do with the kid."

Just because you don't watch the WWL doesn't mean you can't collect a paycheck from Bristol.

Moving on, 2010 QB prospect (and son of the true Golden Boy) Nick Montana impressed onlookers at the Elite 11 Regional camp in Berkeley this past weekend. The EA Sports sponsored event brought out 60 of the best prospects from the west coast, and ESPN's Greg Biggins named Montana the best of all of them.

"Montana was the most consistent from start to finish. He seemed to get stronger as the day went on and showed improved arm strength from a year ago. Montana has a great frame, was solid on his drops, had a quick release and was spinning it very well. He plays with a swagger and has excellent leadership skills. Combined with some very good junior film, it's easy to see why Montana is one of the most heavily-recruited quarterbacks in the country."

Montana thought he had "just an average day," which is either humble-talk or really exciting news. The QB prospect is believed to be a USC-lean at this point, but the Irish are certainly in the running.

More recruiting news: 2010 outside linebacker prospect Christian Jones has recieved an offer from the Irish. Jones is one of the top OLB's in the country, ranked 5th at his position by Rivals (and 75th overall) and 9th at his position by Scout. Jones checks in at 6'4" and 220 pounds, which is a good start for a high school linebacker. He has offers from many of the nation's top progams, including Florida, Florida State, Michigan, and USC. The Seminoles are considered to be the favorite at this point (Jones' father and brother played at FSU), but it is still early in the recruiting season.

Looking ahead to the 2009 season opener, SubwayDomer has some stats on the Nevada Wolfpack. I think the Nevada game will be more dangerous than most (on an easy schedule), but if our coaches are any good they should be able to prepare the defense for the oddity that is the Pistol formation. Nevada didn't have an impressive win in 2008 (Fresno State might be the best team they beat), and the Wolfpack lost to Hawaii by seven points. Nevada was 2-5 against bowl teams, and lost by an average score of 48-23 in their three games against BCS teams (all losses to Texas Tech, Missouri, and Boise State).

Non-ND related news: Bobby "Bumfuzzled" Bowden will probably retire at the end of next season. This according to Bowden himself.

"Offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher gets a $5 million payout if he isn't FSU's head coach by Jan. 11, 2011. Doesn't that factor into Bowden's retirement decision? 'I don't want to answer that,' Bowden said. 'But if you put two and two together, you'll be right.' Bowden conceded, 'My days are limited, but I still enjoy what I do. I would rather walk off quietly. That's the reason I won't say when I'm going to get out because people start counting the days and saying that's the last time he's going to play here."

Bowden's FSU team is currently under investigation for an academic cheating scandal, a scandal which the coach said is "unfair" and could be caused due to the Seminoles failure to change their nickname (seriously).

So Jon Gruden takes another job, Nevada is apparently garbage, and Bobby is riding off into the sunset. Sounds like a full day for the Summer season. See you all tomorrow.

ConGRADs (ugh, I hate myself for typing that) (LOTD 5/17)

Looong day at work today, so you will have to forgive me for preferring an Ithaca Apricot Wheat game sevens, and a nap to posting loads of links. Here's a bit of news though.

First and foremost, congratulations to the Irish players who graduated today. The entire 2008 senior class graduated today, something that can not be said at most programs in the country. Balancing college football and a college education is not an easy thing to do, and it is even more difficult when considering the academic standards at Notre Dame. Also, cheers to Darius Walker, who received his degree today, along with a few other who finished up their degrees after leaving the team due to injury or other reasons. This coming from someone who is envious of their accomplishment.

Moving on, ESPN has released the ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 football schedule for the upcoming season. The Irish will play three games on the WWL: The September 26 matchup at Purdue, the November 14 matchup at Pittsburgh, and the November 28 matchup at Stanford. The Stanford game is the only one of the three gaurenteed to be on ABC, while the Purdue game coincides with a Iowa/Penn State matchup at 8 pm and the Pittsburgh game has yet to have a determined kickoff time.

Speaking of Purdue, former Miami quarterback Robert Marve will decide between taking a scholarship to play for the Boilermakers or walking on to the Tennessee Volunteers. Is the opportunity to play for Loveable Lane really worth giving up a scholarship? I supposed it is... if Purdue is the only other option.

That's all for today. Eyelids..... closing.

USC very likely to get sanctioned

Those of you who get frustrated by the USC posts... well, turn the dial to the right.

I am hearing that it is very likely that USC will be receiving sanctions. I think most people know that by now. The NCAA is going after the Trojans with accusations of "a lack of institutional control" in the now combined case of OJ Mayo and Reggie Bush. However, the two teams will likely receive separate penalties of differing severity.

The basketball team is likely to get a real beating, especially with the recent reports of head coach Tim Floyd directly handing cash to OJ Mayo's handler Rodney Guillory. There's almost no chance that the USC basketball team escapes this unscathed, which is fine, but we don't play USC in basketball, and they aren't our rival in that sport.

The NCAA will have to decide how much the coaches knew about Reggie Bush's situation. That's the focus of the investigation. In order to nail USC for "a lack of institutional control" the association must prove that the SC coaches knew what was going on and turned the other way. The Yahoo! Sports article that touched on the subject contained statements by Lloyd Lake stating that he gave Reggie Bush and Bush's family over $300,000 while the runningback was at USC. Lake told Yahoo! that the coaches knew about it.

"How could they not? We were in the locker room. Some of the coaches were there when we partied with him. They saw the things we had given him."

That would be enough for sanctions, but remember that SC assistant Todd McNair knew both Lake and associate Michael Michaels (seriously, does everyone involved in this have a pornstar name?), and McNair allegedly knew about everything that was going on. And boom goes the dynamite.

This is just my speculation, but I believe the SC football program will certainly be placed on probation and will probably lose scholarships as a result of this. Many continue to say, "I'll believe it when I see it," but it''s hard to imagine the NCAA letting the Trojans off without any punishment and still be taken seriously whatsoever.

President Obama delivers commencement speech to "thunderous applause"

Six weeks ago I profiled the earliest protests against the selection of President Obama as this year's commencement speaker. The biggest point noted was that, while alumni and protesters disagreed with the choice, the selection was made for the students, who overwhelmingly supported the President earlier today.

The students greeted President Obama with a thunderous applause and a standing ovation, chanting "Yes we can!" early and often. The president was interrupted three times during his address, including one time when a student screamed, "Stop killing our children." The student body responded with the familiar "Yes we can" chant. Furthermore, 300 anti-abortion demonstrators (that's it?) gathered at the school's front gates, holding signs stating "Shame on Notre Dame" and "Stop Abortion Now". 27 people were arrested for tresspassing, including Norma McCovey, the "Roe" in Roe v. Wade, who has since changed her position on abortion.

Obama started the speech lightly, making jokes about going "1 for 2" with honorary degrees (Arizona State elected not to give one to the President) and the bookstore basketball tournament ("If you need a 6'2" forward with a decent jump shot, you know where I live"). He quickly turned serious, noting that this class is facing one of the most difficult situations any Notre Dame graduating class has entered. President Obama continued to call for the students to learn how to "live together as one family", despite the bipartisan controversy surrounding his selection. The president did touch on the topic of abortion rights, stating that he favored a "sensible conscience clause" that would allow health care providers the right to deny patients abortions.

As I stated before, the noise was coming from outside of the students body, and the the fact that the students were in obvious support of the President during the speech proves that he was the right selection. It is an honor to have the President speak on campus, no matter who he may be, and I'm sure the graduating seniors will remember this day for the rest of their lives.

The full prepared speech can be seen here (HuffPo).

Chris Martin transfers (high schools), Corso babbles (again), and Sal Paradise plays fantasy baseball (LOTD 5/16)

The dog days of May carry on, but I've got a few stories for all of you today.

The most notable story comes from one of our 2010 commits, Chris Martin. Martin, the top defensive end in the country, will be transferring from Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, California to The Hun School in Princeton, New Jersey. Martin says the move will help prepare him for the academic standards at Notre Dame, but the move does not mean that he will be enrolling early.

The reason is because it will be great preparation for Notre Dame academically,” Martin told SN Today on Friday. "I'm not planning to enroll early."

Martin also mentioned that it was the prestige of a Notre Dame degree which drew him to the Irish. Former Florida State safety (and Rhodes Scholar) Myron Rolle attended The Hun School in 2006, where he was a high-school All-American and player of the year candidate. I'm not a huge fan of high school prospects transferring schools for football-related reasons, but Martin seems to be upgrading both his academic and athletic levels with the switch, so it seems to be the right move for him.

Part two of Lee Corso's nonsensical ramblings ran in the South Bend Tribune today. Corso back the BCS ("I wouldn't change a thing"), once hired Frank Verducci while coaching at Northern Illinois (is this a good thing?), and thinks Jimmy Clausen will be a much better quarterback with Charlie Weis calling the plays (despite his performance down the stretch... when Weis was calling the plays). The Coach also drops this gem for us:

"If you bring three guys in from Mars and you ask the Martians where they would want to see a college football game, even they know enough to say 'Notre Dame."

Thank God it was only a two part series. You can tell that the SBT is having trouble finding stories to run at this time of the year.

CollegeFootballNews.com took their annual pre-season shots at Notre Dame, calling Charlie Weis' first two seasons "a mirage". CFN does acurrately state that Weis should have prepared the fan base for the last two seasons, but instead of mentioning it and moving on CFN spends the first FIVE GRAPHS rehashing the past two seasons (in a story supposedly about the 2009 season). When they do eventually move on (if you make it that far in the story), CFN is acutally pretty optimistic about the upcoming season, stating that the talent level is the best it's been in Weis' five years as coach, and that a BCS bowl game is a distinct possibility.

CFN points to the power running game as a key aspect of the upcoming season (duh), and believes that this will be the fastest defense the Irish have had in a long time. They go on to point out that the season hinges on Clausen's ability to limit his interceptions (agree), while believing that the first half of the schedule will be much more difficult than most imagine (disagree). Take the story (and the source) for what it's worth... CFN cringes anytime they have to say anything nice about the Irish.

Non-ND related news: The Zookernaut is at it again. This time Zook used his twitter page to confused and bumfuzzle the college football world. His last two tweets (ugh, what an awful phrase) were "Please. Come Here" and "Is that all U got," with both being posted at roughly 5 am. I can just imagine the Zooker stumbling home from a Champagne (Illinois) bar in the wee hours of the morning, believing he is texting some hottie while actually posting on his twitter page. Stuart Scott says "Booyah!"

Finally, a totally off-topic note: Genius Beatnik and TDS favorite Jack Kerouac was apparently a fantasy baseball nut... way before the game was even invented. In a story by the New York Times, Kerouac is profiled as creating a league and players and charting their (imaginery?) statistacs, with all of it being catalogued in homemade newsletters and broadsides. The Times goes on to say that he even noted imaginary financial news and contract disputes.

So wait, the author of what is possibly the best novel in the past century created a baseball league, players, owners, managers, game results, and contracts to bide his time in Lowell, Massachusettes. Apparently so. If you continue to read the story, it is also noted that Kerouac was a good enough athlete to be recruited someone named Frank Leahy (when Leahy was at Boston College). The publications are on display at the New York Public Library as part of the Jack Kerouac Archive. What are the hipsters going to do when they find out their all-time fave was a total sports nut? Williamsburg will be rioting Morgantown-style tonight.

That's all for today. Blarney abound tomorrow.

Tim Brown v. Al Davis, Gary Gray to return and news from the rivals (LOTD 5/15)

So about that slow news thing... wow, it's really bad. There's a few stories out there from the past couple of days, most indirectly related to the Irish, but here's what I've got.

Tim Brown is taking on Al Davis... again. Touchdown Tim recently told WCNN in Atlanta that Davis "hated African-American athletes from Notre Dame", basically because they like to get an education while in college. Brown clarified his statements yesterday, saying that the universal "they" told the wide receiver about Davis' feelings, as opposed to Davis coming out and saying it himself. Davis and Brown always struggled to get along, but Brown says that he doesn't believe that Davis is a racist.

Davis has become the crazy uncle at this point, highlighted by his bizarre draft strategy, but as the boys from Deadspin pointed out, he did hire Art Shell - twice. I'm not sure if he actually is a racist (I would guess not... it would be hard to field a team of white guys in the NFL), but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bit of the "old white man from a bygone era" in him. Or he could just hate everyone. That's more likely.

Mike Frank's Irish Sports Daily (Frank is writing for ESPN? Sellout!) is reporting that Gary Gray will be returning to the Irish on June 1st, just in time for the summer semester. Nice to see that Gary will be back, and it adds even more talent and depth to an already impressive Irish secondary. Gray had to leave the team the day before the bowl game for academic reasons, but he seems to be back on track, and having the summer semester to ease into the fall will be nice.

The SBT is running a two-part series on Lee Corso's thoughts about the program. The only reason I can imagine they would run this is that Corso is a punching bag that produces nothing but readers. Corso gives us a great Bob Dylan-esque quote regarding the possibility of Charlie Weis succeeding at Notre Dame.

"If I could be king for a day at Notre Dame and could change one thing, I'd make sure Charlie Weis was Charlie Weis, just be himself, whatever that is,"

So Corso doesn't actually know "what" Charlie Weis is, but he believe that it would be the best thing for ND football. Corso also believes that Ara Parseghian would be the best coach in college football today (I almost pulled a Charles Barkley-esqu "Ara would be rolling over in his grave" until I remembered that Ara is 85 and alive). Corso used the Ara-blueprint when he first stepped in as coach of the Indiana Hoosiers, and he thinks Weis should do the same. That would be fine, except for the fact that Corso went 41-68-2 at Indiana.

A quick note: The Stanford game is set to be played in prime-time, with the Michigan and Pittsburgh games being the only two now lacking a starting time. Last game of the year, prime-time slot, probably on ABC... why don't I feel great about this?

In non-ND related news, USC continues to feel the pressure. Tim Floyd allegedly handed money to OJ Mayo's handler, though the source never saw the act take place. Dr. Saturday has a big breakdown of the whole SC situation, which I am starting to get bored with. SC will get taken down, it's only a matter of time. So on with it already.

Michigan gets a double dose of bad news: runningback Kevin Grady (who was supposed to be the heir-apparent to Mike Hart) spent a few days in the pokey for violating a drunken-driving probation. scUM also has hit day 2,000 since their last win over Ohio State. Tears are filling Lake Michigan as we speak.

Finally, Central New York's own Greg Paulus will be playing for the hometown Syracuse Orange next year (pending a waiver), which gives me even more reason to hate the bastard. Paulus played for Christian Brothers Academy in high school, a big rival of the Fighting Warriors of Liverpool, NY (I think he put of 60 on us in my senior year), then spen four seasons for the hateable Dookies, and now will suit up for the pathetic Syracuse Orange. I wish we played the Orange this season so that the Irish could give Paulus a genuine beat down.... wait, never mind.

That's all for today. I'll be back with more blarney for you tomorrow.

Back... again

You might be considered observant if you've noticed a trend around here. So here's the situation.

I've been looking for MSM jobs in journalism recently, and part of the interview process is being able to restrict your freelance gigs in favor of a full-time job. So when thousands of struggling ink-stained wretches descend on the three openings out there, their blogs are put on hold. Such is the case here.

But I'm back. Did you miss me? It's the slow news season in between spring practice and the fall season, so I'm sure there will be lots of news of twitter and facebook pictures of players drinking, but I'll do the best I can to provide something worthwhile to read until the season kicks in.

Anyways, stick around and enjoy the posts. It could be a limited run - you never know when your next vacation will come around - but I'll be here for the near future, providing whatever news is out there.